Edward Rasiulis

Blue Mountain Gold Label Brut Sparkling, Traditional Method, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia

Gold with a touch if copper in colour with medium intensity & fine mousse. This sparkling smells & taste like fine Champagne, but at least half the price & it's Canadian! This sparkling shows notes of baked apple, yeast, pine nuts, brioche, lemon and lime stone.

Tasted 5 Aug 11

Top Pick

Score: 9.5/10, Value: 9.5/10, Total: 19/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 4.5

Piper Heidsieck Brut, Champagne

Medium straw in colour with a medium to medium+ intense nose & fine mousse.

The sports car of Champagnes; fast, lean, racy & easy to drink

Positives: This complex wine features light toast & yeast, guava, honeysuckle, pear, green apples, pistachio, tobacco, melba toast & icing sugar on the finish. Light to medium body with good acidity & a long length.

Negatives: $20 more expensive in Ontario than Florida.

Drink now or over the next 5 years on its own or pair it with raspberry point oysters.

Interesting Point: My wife’s go to Champagne, and if it were priced like Florida this would be a weekly staple.

Tasted: 5 January 2014

Top Pick

Score: 9.5/10, Value: 9/10 Total: 18.5/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 4.5

Château Montus Madiran 2006, Ac Madiran

Deep dark ruby with a hint of garnet on the colour & medium+ intensity on the nose.

Positives: A complex & higher end wine from the South of France. Notes of cedar, blackberry, dark cherry, mulberry, raspberry, macintosh apple, leather, pencil shaving, turmeric, all spice, arugula & radicchio on the finish. Full body, medium+ tannins, good acidity, long length & alcohol is well integrated.

Negatives: A little astringent & thus needs time to age.

If you're drinking this now, decanter for 2 hours & pair it with medium rare steak.

Tasted: 11 Mar 12

Score: 9/10, Value: 8.5+/10, Score: 18/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 4

Hess Collection 19 Block Cuvée 2009, Mount Veeder, Napa Valley

Description: Deep ruby with a medium+ intense nose.

This is an investment wine, meaning it should blossom in 5-7 years

Positives: This complex wine features cedar, cherry, plum, blackberry, blackcurrants, sage, pencil lead, turmeric, cassis, mocha, leather & spinach. Medium+ body with green tannins, good acidity & a long length.

Negatives: There’s some heat from the 14.2% alcohol

Interesting Point: Decant for an hour. This wine is worth the $10 extra over Hess’s Allomi (reviewed earlier)

Drink now or in the next 12 years on its own or pair it with Kansas City Strip steak.

Tasted: 6 May 2014

Score: 9+/10, Value: 8.5+/10, Total: 18/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 4+

The Paring Red 2006, Santa Ynez Valley

Opaque inky ruby colour, med+ intensity, I can smell the vapors of alcohol. Cedar, cassis, blackberry, menthol, basil, cigar box. High complexity showing warm climate style. Taste has med+ tannins, med acid, balanced, full body, with high alcohol. Taste is mild compared to the nose. Cedar, black currants, some cranberry, leather notes, twiggy, spinach which gives it a bit of a green bite. Not worth the price. Score: 7, Value: 4, Total: 11/20 After being opened up for 2hrs, the nose is more fragrant with carnations & blueberry pie. On taste it was still linear, but does open up with mulberry & dark cherry. The spinach turns more to artichoke. Long finish. Score improves a bit, 7.5. Nose is 9.5

Benmarco Malbec 2012

Deep ruby to purple in colour with a medium+ intense nose.

The taste is full, juicy, delicious & all for under $20

Positives: This wine features light oak, blackberry, prunes, dates, licorice, mocha and mesquite. Full body with medium+ tannins, good acidity & a fairly long length.

Negatives: The nose is somewhat mute and watery

Drink now or in the next 3 years on its own or pair it with grilled lamb chops.

Tasted: 28 April 2014

Best Buy

Score: 9/10, Value: 9.5/10, Total: 18.5/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 4

Loan Wines Special Reserve Semillon 2005, Unoaked, Barossa Valley, South Australia

A good alternative to a Chard, but it will only please the discerning

Description: Bright yellow gold in colour with a medium+ intense nose. This unoaked wine features bees wax, tangerine, orange rind, lemon tart, golden apple and grapefruit. Medium body with good acidity and a very long length (The flavour was still in my mouth after 5 min).

Negatives: None

Interesting Points: Found it was best in the Viognier glassware.

Drink now or in the next 10 years on its own or pair it with conch ceviche.

Tasted: 7 Aug 2014

Best Buy

Score: 9/10, Value: 9+/10 Total: 18+/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 4

Cooralook Pinot Gris 2008

Bright gold in colour with a medium to medium+ intense nose.

Positives: An easy drinking Pinot Gris styled between the Italian Pinot Grigio and Alsace Pinot Gris. This wine is crisp with lemon, honeysuckle, pink grapefruit and pineapple. Medium body with good acidity and a fairly long length.

Negatives: None

Interesting Point: The 2008 is on sale now for $11.95, which is a great deal.

Drink now on its own or pair it with Chinese food.

Tasted: 19 Jan 13

Best Buy

Score: 8.5+/10, Value:10/10, Total: 18.5+/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 3.5+

Henry Of Pelham Cuvée Catharine Brut, VQA Niagara Peninsula

Light straw in colour with fine mousse & medium to medium+ intensity on the nose.

Positives: If my best buy category was for under $30, this sparkling would definitely be one. Side note: Some LCBOs have this in clearance for $24.95, which does make it a best buy. This sparkling is easy to drink & features brioche, yeast, baked apples, lemon custard & stone fruit. Medium to medium minus in body with good acidity & medium+ length.

Negatives: None.

Drink now on its own or pair it with red Lumpfish caviar.

Tasted: 7 Sept 12

Score: 9+/10, Value: 9/10, Total: 18+/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 4+

Reininger Cabernet Sauvignon 2012, Walla Walla Valley

A quality cab with some kick to it

Description: Medium+ ruby in colour with a medium intense nose. This wine features cedar, dark and sour cherries, plums, red currents, thyme, cassis, turmeric, graphite, Allspice, cinnamon, cloves, peppers and leather. Full body with medium+ tannins, good acidity, a long length and the alcohol is well integrated.

Negatives: None

Interesting Note: Same wine sells for $45 at the winery

Drink now or in the next 10 years on its own or pair it with Pan-Roasted Veal Chops with Cabernet Sauce.

Tasted: 27 Nov 2014

Best Buy

Score: 9/10, Value: 9+/10 (Sale price 9.5/10), Total: 19+/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 4